People give me old unwanted bikes and out of ever 2 or 3 I can give away one or so. On the really ugly, scratched so on and so forth bikes I've used hammer tone paint from a can (Lowes) to make them "better looking" without a lot of fuss. Add flat bars and most seem well received.
Really, poor kids don't have an appreciation for patina when everything else they have is dented, stained and ill fitting . . .
By the by my wife received a hot rodded Raleigh painted in her favorite green and then eventually a ring.
Howard Darr Kinsman OH USA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Harvey Sachs Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 6:58 PM To: Classic Rendezvous Subject: [CR]"crackle" finish
Back in the late 60s, Beloved Spouse received as an engagement present from yours truly not a ring, but a somewhat used Atala with cast lugs and SP (?) tubing... Her father was a manufacturer of specialty electronic equipment, with his own sheet metal shop where the cabinets and cases were made. I think that we actually painted one or two bikes in his shop in the silver "Hammertone" that was popular on equipment cabinets at the time. If instead it was in my imagination, I wish we had. The proper hammertones could be had in a lightish blue, silver/black, and perhaps other shades. Although they looked like hammered metal, the surface was perfectly smooth. As I recall, the effect was caused by migration of tiny metal flakes while a solvent in the spray evaporated. I wonder if we could do that again...It was really quite a nice effect.
harvey sachs mcLean va 22101 usa
++++++++++++++++++++++++ Larry Hakim a ecrit :
One of THE coolest finishes I've ever seen on ANY bike was an original brow n-ish "crackle" finish on a Hetchins circa 1973. Have never seen it on any other bike (including other Hetchins) and much more unique and "show-stoppi ng" than any Italian bike from the 80's IMO.
Larry Hakim
Oxford, Mississippi, USA